Crescendo
by Puffie
Summary: While war rages on the land, a princess finds solace in a peaceful song. Characters: Silvanna & Granger.


Submitted for MLG's Christmas Event (yes it was late)

Summary: While war rages on the land, a princess finds solace in a peaceful song.

Rating: General Audience

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**Crescendo**

Silvanna shivered as she hovered above the map of the Moniyan Empire, tracing down the river with her finger. Her eyes stung as they shifted north to south, east to west. "Lord of Light, please give me wisdom in this dark hour," she prayed. The woman yawned, straightened up her spine and relaxed her shoulders.

A vision flashed in Silvanna's mind - the army of the Abyss marching across their forests, choking their rivers and with their warships and burning their fields. Where would her people go? Nowhere else but to her. No one else was the Moniyan Empire's princess.

Light flickered as the fire reached the bottom of the wax, as if telling Silvanna to retire for the night. How could she? If she made a single mistake in her battle plan, if she failed to see even one weakness, she could be sending her forces to death. "Huh?" Silvanna heard it in the silence of the night, a sweet sound after the long silence. The source was unmistakenly a stringed instrument, perhaps a violin?

She the song all too well - the slow beginning that was a succession of low notes, increasingly climbing until it swelled into a mournful melody. Where was it coming from?

_Sacred wind, cradle us in our sleep_

_Lord of light, wipe all tears_

_Shine your light, King of Peace_

Later she could go back to her maps, first she must find the music. Silvanna lit a fresh candle and carried it out of the room to the dark corridors of the castle, following the song to its origin. She took a deep breath and sang as soft as a whisper; "Darling, I will find you. I will reach into the darkness until I can hold you hand."

Silvanna stopped as she arrived at the door of the chapel, slightly opened. The inside was illuminated by a few dim candles. A lone figure stood at the center, playing his violin. He stopped upon seeing the princess. "Did I wake you up?" A voice of a young man asked and echoed in the cathedral. "My apologies."

"No, please don't stop." Silvanna shook her head and waved. She walked towards the man she recognized as Granger, one of the top marksmen in the Imperial Army. She had watched the young man in a few campaigns - always quiet, alone and focused. Neither of them had spoken a word to each other before. The princess awaited a bow or a sign of courtesy but Granger gave no gesture. Perhaps he didn't recognize her? "I couldn't sleep. Can I stay here and listen?"

Granger nodded. "Sure, I can't sleep either." He answered flatly, plucking the strings slightly and checking the knobs of his instrument. The young man then took off his scarf and threw it to Silvanna. "It's cold, you can use it for now."

"Thank you." The princess had no choice but to accept the kind gesture. In the darkness, her night robes barely resemble her regalia. She wrapped the warm fabric around her shoulders as she listened once again to Granger's music. He continued playing the piece earlier but soon added improvisations to the original melody. Silvanna closed her eyes and remembered the lyrics in silence. Her voice was not worthy to accompany the skilled musician.

_Hush my love, I am here_

_You can listen to my heart_

_Still beating for you, wherever you are_

Silvanna wrapped the scarf tighter around her shoulders, feeling the warmth to the center of her body. It was the same feeling many years ago when she held her baby brother in her arms. How nice would it be to hold him again? The song ascended in volume, the notes reaching higher, as if it was imitating the wailing of an anguished woman.

Then it stopped, leaving an emptiness that echoed through the walls, to the ceiling filled with the paintings of the heavens.

"Certainly this song is the unhappiest written for the Yuletide season." Granger remarked, and Silvanna curved her lips slightly. "'Darkest Night in Moniyan,' is a pretty terrible title for the song with a great melody."

"Composed after Prince Dyrroth disappeared," Silvanna added, masking the pain in her voice as she shuddered. The wind somewhat felt colder. "He was gone just like that on the eve of the winter celebrations. It wasn't the same for Moniyan after that and Abyss didn't stop with him." Silvanna's brow furrowed as her voice rose. "Right at this very moment they are knocking at our doors. If we fail to stop them then-" The princess eyes suddenly transfixed on Granger's. He was observing her and she was losing control. "My apologies for being so grim."

"I lost my parents from from the war. I know how it feels like," Granger replied, no hint of anger or pain in his voice. "I remember the days we used to celebrate - that sumptuous dinner, gifts under the tree, and everyone in the family there." The young man once again lifted his violin and played a new song, something that the princess never heard before. The tune was light, fast and romantic.

Silvanna remembered the warmth of the castle when she was young. Her days used to be filled with innocence and the nights filled with dreams. The long lost happiness deep inside resurfaced like the candles in the dark. The princess noticed a single flickering flame in its last resistance, dying on the surface of the burnt candle.

"In the next days the Moniyan army will be fighting the greatest battle in history... Do you think we can win?" The woman asked the knight before her - Granger was under her command.

Granger closed his eyes and played the song until it's the climactic finale, ending with a long and slow rift. The musician hung his instrument and gazed at Silvanna. "Is this why you can't sleep?"

"I'm finding my strength. I have to be strong for everyone." Silvanna paused and a pregnant silence followed. Granger didn't speak a word but looked at her intently.

"We trust in the princess." The young man said. "I'm not giving up or losing hope either."

"That's… good to hear."

"Would you like another song, your Highness? Something that soothes your soul? Or a song about valor?" A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips. "Or a lullaby?"

Silvanna smiled and shook her head. All this time huh? Granger seemed to be waiting for her reaction with interest, his lips curved in amusement.


End file.
